Lillycake

I've put less than an hour in the game and have already had three distinct game breaking bugs. Had to restart the client a few times and I've had to restart my game twice because of broken save files. Playing on release date for any video game these last few years has always been a headache and this game is no exception. Normally I wouldn't even bother to make a post about something like this but all the hype from this game has led to a massive disappointment and now my time to play this game is getting delayed (again).

Flashback to 1984 or thereabouts. Our first ever AD&D session. I was voted DM. We spent an entire Sunday lovingly crafting our characters. Even carefully drew portraits to the best of our ability. Then we set out for Adventure, using some prepared module, don't even remember what. Miraculously the party survives the first encounter with goblins or something. There's a chest. The thief checks for traps. I secretly roll, like, a 3. No traps found. He opens it. "As you open it, a small needle flicks out of the lock and jabs you in the wrist. Roll a saving throw against Poison." It's another 2 or 3. "Uh... well, you're dead I guess. Wanna roll a new character?" That... was not fun. It is also conceivable that at least a part of my aversion for save-or-die mechanics can be traced down to that incident. Young minds are impressionable after all. If you get a plank of wood and set it on the floor to walk on it, it still feels like you're walking on the floor. If you use that same plank of wood to bridge a gap that would surely kill you if you fell, the walk across it wouldn't feel like you're walking on the floor in the same way. The plank is the same, the balance is the same, but the only difference is the thought that "if you take one step to either side you will die" and that changes the experience. I think that playing a game with the intention of having a "magical journey with ups and downs" isn't truly possible unless the chance of defeat is looming around. It's difficult for a lot of people to understand (I've seen countless arguments about how "hardcore" mode in video games is pointless by people who don't understand the concept of danger I'm talking about) and the feeling you get from overcoming obstacles and challenges is the thrill that some of us seek. Baldur's Gate has a million ways to die, and a million ways to succeed. Just like comparing the variables of mortality in real life, it's a fun way to emulate how dangerous and thrilling life might have been in those times. If you consider the concept of dying in anyway to be unfair then that's already overlooking the intent of the game's design.

They're just trying to find out what feels right for the game's combat. The last couple years hasn't been enough time. It's a shame there isn't a spiritual successor in this vein of gaming that could be used to shortcut a lot of their development time by simply copying the games that made this kickstarter earn almost four million dollars.

"It just needs to get fixed. It just needs tweaking. It'll be good when it gets patched up. It's going to be good when it's working." Hey people that love defending this mess, guess what? This game was supposed to ship a while ago. It didn't because it was felt by the team that it wasn't ready and needed more work. The reason Sensuki is against this mechanic isn't just because of his personal opinion but because he recognizes that time is money, and money is limited with projects like like these. Every second being spent on implementing, fixing, and changing this mechanic could be spent elsewhere. Everyone has their opinion on what's good or not in a game, but the fact of the matter is that a core game play mechanic like this should have been in and working in the game a long time ago at this point in the development.

We're in a beta test. Constructive criticism is key in aiding the developers in making this game work and feel right. Preferably with class and tact, but either way the truth is the truth and that's what they want. Having people tell them "I like it. It's fun." is appreciated in a socially obligatory aspect but ultimately not what they care to hear in this context. Imagine a chef that's trying to make the next best thing and some starving homeless person starts eating the food and constantly acknowledges that "it's good". That isn't doing anything for that poor chef's restaurant and he wasted his time listening to that obvious and predictable opinion. Osvir, you are the starving homeless person of this forum.

I agree. The next patch better include explosions, exo suits, and Kevin Spacey.

I know there's a lot of issues people are having with this game but my question is "does this game have any issues?". There's a lot of debate going on but it is usually a stark opposite stance just a different preference. The types of problems that this game has in regards to bugs are known, being addressed, and getting the proper attention in the form of the game's winter 2014 delay. In this current day and age you can't make a perfect game because *speaks in an elderly sage's voice* "Ones' garbage, is another's treasure." With that said I would like to voice my opinion on people's perceived problems : 1)Fact. 2)Popular opinion. 3)Devils' advocate. 4)My opinion. Melee Engagement 1) Engagement is a new mechanic being introduced into the game that the old IE games didn't have. 2) Most believe that it's a rule designed for turn based games and doesn't feel right. 3) It solves issues that the old IE games had with melee and is possibly an improvement with it's usage in conjunction with abilities or special circumstances that we don't know of yet because of the narrow peak into the game via beta testing. 4) I think it changes how combat works which may be good or bad. It can be good if the in game scenarios lend themselves to it's strategy, but if it's something that feels out of place it's apparently something easily modded out. Time will tell and the discussions about it are way too subjective and never really got anywhere. IE vs PE Spell Casters 1) The difference in spell variety and type with all of the different caster classes between the older IE games and PE is very big. 2) IE spells weren't balanced and easily abused but it was a large part of the game and something very memorable/enjoyable. 3) They broke game balance and balance is needed in games. 4) I would prefer IE spell casting but I totally understand why others would prefer balance and this is a difficult compromise for the developers to make. Right now they're heavily focused on balancing them which will be creating a new/different way of using magic. That doesn't mean they "hate" spell casters like someone suggested, or even that they didn't enjoy IE spell casting themselves. A very excellent poster on these forums that goes my the name Namutree suggested that it's because of the fact that this game has started from scratch. I agree entirely and I have evidence of potentially making everyone (if only a little) happier. Compare this game to Baldur's Gate. That was level 1-7 in DnD terms, and PE is higher level but also levels a lot faster. Both PE and BG were games that started off from the bare bones and created a game that was loved enough to justify an expansion. BG2 improved all of the things we loved about the first because they had the foundation to build upon. PE is in the same situation because of the development being created from scratch. Like BG, PE has a confirmed expansion on the way and a developer recently posted that the magic system will indeed be expanded in the future. Maybe later rather than sooner, but I think everyone can agree that they aren't slouching and are doing a wonderful job compared to most companies that we deal with. Combat Experience 1) Combat experience will not exist in PE. 2) It's a staple of the series and will not feel right. 3) It promotes grinding incentives that some won't enjoy, and doesn't penalize stealth game play. 4) It's a huge change that I originally cringed when I heard about it, but based on the dedication this team has shown and the reasons they gave for making the decision keep me optimistic. If things work out right, they're going to increase the amount of available quests and keep them in the game just enough to where you always enjoy the steady progression of leveling up. Will it feel slightly frustrating finishing a hard fight that was avoidable without getting xp? Of course that's the first thing you think of, but the potential for loot is something nobody can say they know about. In the IE games loot was very predictable but in PE it's possible they changed it and the chance of getting something game changing may lurk around every corner. If that's the case then I am sold on the idea and think it's a worth while change. Game Speed 1) Many people are voicing concerns about the game speed being too fast. 2) It's requiring too many pauses in combat. 3) Slow mode was created in case you didn't like it. 4) I believe it originally was too fast but recently developers have hinted at changing the values in the future. I have a better idea : use a slider in the options menu to adjust the speed to your preference. It should be at least a 1-10 scale, if not more. It's a strategy game and everyone plays different. There's no good goldilocks speed and customization for such a major part of the game should be expected. Pillars of Eternity Expansion 1) There's an expansion coming. 2) A lot of people are so excited for this game that they over sensationalize things and sometimes have extreme reactions to design decisions. 3) A lot of people are holding faith in the developers and trusting they know what they're doing with the controversial subjects the forums have been discussing. 4) I know this is probably a silly one but I'm really drunk so here we go. I really don't see anyone talking about the expansion nearly enough and I feel like a lot of perspective is lost on the development cycle. It's been in the works for a while now but not every minute was spent making features. A lot of work has been done for the sake of making a game that will last forever and it's shaping up to be a lot of our dreams come true. Once this game releases and does well (it will!) the team will begin work on the expansion that's going to be pure storyline / feature implementation. The foundation of this project is complete and the rest of the time is going to be awesome, and we're all lucky that such a miracle has been brought to life. I love all of you and this game and I'm really excited to follow it for years to come!

It's funny to me the types of criticisms that Sensuki gets. "You always compare it to IE games." -Yeah no kidding, that's what this game is literally based off of. (One of the few times the word "literally" is used properly on the internet. Kind of like that mythological semicolon.) "It's rude to say you'll mod it in, kind of offensive to the developers." -If he's talking about changing minor UI elements because of them not being symmetrical or controls that go against the decade of muscle memory that the games this one is based off of have given us, then no it's not offensive. It's incredibly valuable feedback that would make some people happy, and be a change the rest of the people wouldn't notice or at the least disagreed with. Minor UI fixes. "Sensuki wants to make it his game." -Most of the suggestions he makes are either aesthetic fixes, minor corrections to alter controls to remain consistent with IE games, or personal preferences that he agrees with should be at least optional. In other words, he's fair about his bias and isn't acting like a spoiled child like some here seem to think, but more like a "professional beta tester". The important thing about that last part is the videos are very respectful and humble, something a lot of people aren't when they disagree with someone. Get off his back and if you disagree then let the developers do the decision making. For each one of you that picks on him there's a lot more of us that appreciate his hard work and dedication.

Now that you released the first video of the game, it's obviously to everyone's joy that the lighting effects are so brilliant. Since that wisp like character moved around and showed off the lighting it really got me thinking : How cool would it be to create caves or certain areas where there is literally no static lighting effects and it requires certain members to equip torches or use light spells? That would be so much fun if you can do something like that!

Sorry I'm tardy to the party I just learned about this entire thing a few hours ago! I went through all of the updates and saw all of the videos...after spending a while crying tears of happiness I finally composed myself and decided to share my thoughts and express my thanks to all of the developers for continuing my favorite type of games! Thank you very much. ----Pathing---- -Pathing is massively important. In IE games I really disliked indoor / close corridors fighting because the characters would often waste time running in a wrong direction. It was especially annoying if a pillar blocked line of sight for a ranged command 40 yards away and the character would move directly toward the target instead of taking the single step to the left/right to regain view. When Starcraft 2 first came out the first thing that made me cry tears of joy was how fluid and perfect the pathing was. You could select hundreds of units and watch them perfectly navigate around a series of obstacles with a single click. It was so beautiful that many people were making videos just showing off how cool it was. If I could spend more time monitoring spells and actions being preformed instead of making sure my recent commands are properly being executed the enjoyment would increase tenfold. I know this is really obvious but I just felt like mentioning it! ----Spells---- -Spells that had a long casting time (almost a full turn) were sometimes difficult for me to manage when I have to pause countless times in between it's actual cast. This happens often in large scale battles where certain death can occur at any fraction of a second. Baldur's Gate Enhanced Edition did a great job helping this problem by creating an icon on the player portrait symbolizing the current action being performed. I would love to see something similar, if not identical to this! ----Replayability---- -I've seen a lot of games being accused of having little replayability because of it's linear play style, yet calling Baldur's Gate a masterpiece because of how opened ended it is. I don't understand this logic because Baldur's Gate is completely scripted and after you've played it 100% you will know what to expect on each subsequent play through. I love that game to death but it's never been the same as my first play through because I truly didn't know what to expect behind every inch of shroud my first time around. I think the perfect solution for these things is to have a randomization system for events. Any "Rogue-like" games have the right idea; you can create randomized sections of the game that doesn't change the storyline in anyway but offers the element of suprise for the player. I'm not saying the game should be randomly generated like a Diablo map (1 and 2 ...lol@3) but certain "insignificant" areas would have random chances to create a type of event. For example : You approach the Friendly Arms Inn and instead of that mage who attacks you, one of the following happens : 1)Nothing 2)One or more randomly generated characters attacks you. 3)One or more randomly generated characters greet you, and offer you some advice. This advice could be something like "Greetings traveler, careful if you travel east... I heard the howls of a large pack of wolves." Then somewhere in the east a pack of wolves would be created in the nearest spawn point used for such events. 4)A generic traveling merchant would offer you some standard wares. 5)A silly flavor text event happens that pulls you into the atmpsophere, or at the very least makes you grin before moving on. This is a very basic example, but having multiple playthroughs where the feeling of exploration and genuine suprise can be kept is such a big deal for me and makes the game incredibly more fun! ----Exploration---- -Hidden items are always fun to find. It's like an Easter egg hunt but instead of chocolate goodness you find a sum of gold, or a magic scroll, or a potion. Nothing necessary, and nothing big but just a little way to reward players who take the time to look or have a good eye at catching cleverly placed secrets. Holding the tab button to highlight everything would be an exception to this rule, and these secrets wouldn't be shown through that button (if it exists). ----Life in the City---- -Something that I loved about BG1 and BG2 was how long you could enjoy the game while being in a single place. The major cities had a perfect balance of places to explore, places to experience combat, places to shop, and places to progress storylines. You never had to leave the city walls because "I feel like fighting something now." I would love it if there were even more reasons to stay in the city! A few ideas I have are : Auction house / Retail Investments : Instead of selling an item directly to a merchant you could place it on an auction or lend it to a shop keep in the hopes of earning extra gold with some patience. You would return to the auction house or store you owned/invested in several game play hours or days later and either collect the gold you asked for (if the game decided it sold) or scan through the offers you got for the item. For example : Say you placed a +1 Longsword on the market. When you return about a day later you get the following options: 1)Don't sell; Keep +1 Longsword. 2)Accept offer : +1 Flail. 3)Accept offer : 1000 gold. 4)Accept offer : Scroll of Identify, 200 gold, and Potion of Minor Healing. The options would always vary between existing and total profit as well. Sometimes you would see great deals and other times you would see lousy deals and be forced to decide. - An idea I had about cities is having minor quests that utilize a player's skill set. Imagine if you ran across someone injured somewhere and at the cost of one of your heal spells/or potions you just saved someone's life. Maybe someone has a disease or negative effect and asks you for a cure. If you happen to have the right spell, you can decide to heal them or even charge them a specific amount of gold for your services. I know a lot of people would see these things as pointless but interacting with the world in non-combat ways is extremely satisfying for me and really increases my enjoyment of the game. I loved the idea of paying for spell casts when you went to temples, and I always wished I could go around selling spells. ----Weather Effects---- -Day and night cycles can have interesting effects on game play! I would love to see spells and abilities that have both positive and negative effects based on current sun/moon cycles or rain/sun/snow conditions! ----Item Related Quests---- -Finding Pommel of the Equalizer in BG2 instantly made me happy. It was a brilliant idea by the developers to put a partial item in the beginning of the game that did many things to the player. It explained to them through game play mechanics alone that this game has specific item pieces in the world, there's definitely a place you can craft items at, and that the items in the game have stories fueling their special powers. I loved this concept but I felt like there could have been more than there was in the game. I would love to see a lot of items that are craftable through exploration and am just as equally interested in learning the stories behind them. Creating actual quests revolving around piecing together legendary items would be a lot of fun! ----Stat Related Quests---- Something Dragon Age Origins tried to do but didn't deliver properly were quests that are directly dependant on your characters skills and/or stats. I think they didn't do it right because it wasn't used enough. There were very few examples of when it actually mattered, and it felt like a lazy attempt to instill a feeling of significance in the world but in the end further illuminated the linear path they took. I think there should be a large variety of NPCs placed throughout every city and even some amongst the wilderness. They should be randomized to discourage meta gaming, compliment replayability, and encourage exploration. These NPCs would present to the player problems such as: 1) Someone needs help with identifying a potentially cursed scroll or item. A spell of indentify completes the quest and earns the player a reward. 2) Someone needs help with picking the lock off of a box they found. If you're party is capable of picking the lock then you are presented with three options : accept the reward of "x" amount of gold, share half of what's inside of the lockbox, or chose the evil route and just kill the person and take everything for yourself. 3) Somebody challenges you to play a card game. If you agree to playing the game it automatically determines the winner based on your stats. If you lose you forfeit an agreed upon amount of gold prior to the bet. If you win you earn the agreed upon reward and are told in a quick text popup something like "Your quick dexterity catches the hussler trying to cheat you, he apologizes and forfeits." Or, "Your sharp intellect overcomes your oponent, and you win the game." These small stat checks are insignificant in comparison to the grand scheme of the game but offfer a very rewarding feeling when you are tested on the spot and walk away the victor. ----Difficulty and Danger---- -Something I really hate is level scaling. I hate fighting something blindly with the comfort of knowing level scaling is on my side. I think anyone who has played BG2 can say that their first encounter with Kangaxx the Lich was a very humbling and likely hilarious event. It would sadden me if anyone ever actually got frustrated upon dying there. That event alone made me recognize that I'm living in dangerous times where anything can happen and I'm not the Rambo of the world like in most video games. This is further emphasized with how Irenicus brings the wizards to their knees in the beginning. Trying to fight them yourself soon after learning that you can't cast spells in the city and deciding to do it anyway soon proves that you're no match against them! Taking the time to avoid a recognizable danger is way more satisfying because it reminds me that I'm not playing a normal video game, I'm playing one of the best ever made! It's also satisfying to be rewarded upon recognizing danger and having it pay off...and then later in the future returning to that location and showing off how strong I've become during my journey and to overcome and obstacle that was once a sure death to my former self. ----Awkward Game Mechanics---- -I love having a large variety of characters/companions that join my party but I never want to have my intentions of playing with a certain group get in the way of their perception of me. I would take everyone if I could but you can only have 5 other party members with you. I get that, I like that, I think a total of 6 is a perfect number and I hope it stays that way because personally I think 7 or more would get a little too crazy. HOWEVER... I don't want a dialogue option saying "Sorry but you can't join us; we're full." What the hell does that even mean? Is this game that prides itself on immersion actually have a dialogue option that's directly referencing a game play mechanic? That bothered me really bad. What should have happened is you should either let them join or say something along the lines of "I think it would be better if you met with me at 'insert hub like copper coronet'." At least that way the player wouldn't be discouraged about potentially pissing off the NPC. And yes I know that as far as stats/numbers go you aren't actually experiencing any real disadvantage from the NPC you're turning down but I have watched many others including myself experience a pang of guilt because of the game forcing you to chose that dialogue option. A great example is when you are in BG1 and you have 1 empty slot and a group like Jaheria and Khalid want to join you. Or Minsc and eventually Dynaheir. You are in middle of the wilderness and you say to their face "We don't have room for you.". That is a large error in game design, I think, and should be at the very least rephrased. Another example of awkwardness is when you first enter Spellhold in the game BG2. You're decently far into the game at that point and almost assuredly have a full party by then. You suddenly meet Imoen and are forced to decide somebodies fate on the spot. Not only is that just an awkward way of putting the player in a tough position entirely based on game mechanics, but you also are very likely to have to reload since there's a strong possibility that whoever you decided to boot out of the party had some crucial items in their inventory. BG2 forces you to go through the clunky process of redoing the entire portion of that game simply because a game mechanic got in the way of your game's momentum. Sorry about the length of this rant but it's very important to me and I wanted to be sure to get my point across.